Hockey: With A Month To Go, Indian Team’s Preparations In Full Swing For Women’s Junior World Cup

The FIH Hockey Women: With just a month to go for the prestigious FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023, preparations are going on in full swing for Junior Asia Cup winner India as they aim to lift the prestigious trophy too.

The FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 will be held in Santiago, Chile, from November 29 to December 10 with 16 teams in the fray.

Speaking about the atmosphere in the team, among the players and how they are preparing in the lead-up to the Junior World Cup, Indian team coach Tushar Khandker, said, “All the players in the team have been doing intense training sessions. We are working on areas of improvement ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 as the World Cup is just a month away now.

"We don’t want to leave any room for error and make mistakes which can cost us dearly. Winning the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 has definitely boosted the morale of the players and the spirit is high among the players. Everyone in the squad has worked hard to get to this stage and we will look to implement our strategies successfully in every game that we play,” he said.

India are placed in Pool C along with Germany, Belgium and Canada. The Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and hosts Chile are in Pool A, while Argentina, Korea, Spain and Zimbabwe are placed in Pool B. Pool D comprises England, the United States, New Zealand and Japan.

The Indian junior women’s hockey team will open its campaign against Canada on November 29. They will face Germany on November 30 and will lock horns with Belgium on December 2.

The Indian team qualified for the Women’s Junior World Cup by winning the Junior Asia Cup 2023, which was held in Kakamigahara, Japan, in June 2023, beating South Korea 2-1 in the final.